A prospective cohort study published in Rheumatology and Therapy investigated the relationship between lipid traits and the risk of incident all-cause interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study included 4,229 UK Biobank participants with RA and no baseline ILD and followed them for an average of 14.7 years, during which 152 new ILD cases were recorded. Among six lipid traits evaluated, higher levels of apolipoprotein A (ApoA) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) emerged as independent protective factors against ILD.
Each standard deviation increase in ApoA and HDL-C was associated with a 61.5% and 51.3% reduction in ILD risk, respectively. These associations were most pronounced in men, younger patients, and individuals with a history of smoking. Using the INFLA-score to assess systemic inflammation, researchers found that…
